Harness-pad.



No. 683,850. Patented Oct. I, I901. J. M. CONNOR.

HARNESS PAD (Application filed June 12, 1901.)

(No Model.)

7M Ayn UN TED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

JOHN M. CONNOR, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

HARNESS-PAD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of -Letters Patent No. 683,850, d t d O t ber1, 1901.

Applicationfiled-June 12, 1901. Serial No. 64,262. (No model.)

TQ all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN M. CONNOR, a citi zen-of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a certain new and useful Irnprovement in Harness-Pads, of whichthe following is a specification.

The invention relates particularly to pads for use under the saddle of aharness; but its construction is adapted for use and can be used for apad under the collar. It is well known that the back and shoulders of ahorse are liable to become sore from the rubbing of the saddle or collaror from other cause,

and it is desirable in such cases to-have apad which can be used so asto protect the sore or injury and at the same time have the padefiective for its ordinary use.

The object of the invention is to construct a continuous pad when firstformed, but which is so constructed that a portion thereof at any pointrequired can be cut out and removed, so as to leave an opening over thesore or injury which will prevent the rubbing of the pad on the sore orinjured spot and at the same time leave the pad free as a protector,with the additional feature of permitting access to the sore or injuredpart without removing the pad, and so that the part can be treated andis also exposed to the beneficial efiects of air for cooling and keeping the sore or injury from the ill effects of heat from the pad 5 andthe invention consists in the features of construction and combinationof parts hereinafter described.

While the invention is applicable for use with either a saddle-pad for aharness or as a collar-pad, it is only shown in the drawings as a saddleharness-pad inorder to illustrate its construction in one form for whichit is intended to be used.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the pad as completedand intended for use when there is no sore or injury on the back of theanimal which is to be cured and protected; Fig. 2, a top or plan view ofthe pad with a section thereof at the center or apex of the bend removedfor the purpose of preventing illeffects from the pad on a sore orinjury which would come beneath the opening formed by the removedsection; Fig. 8, a plan View of the section removed from thecenter ofthe pad in Fig. 2; Fig. 4, a detail showing one form of making attachingeyes or loops for the binding-wires of the pad; and Fig. 5, a detail,partly in section, showing one way of applying and securing the eyes orloops for the binding-wires of the ad. p The pad proper, A, is made offelt or other soft material of suitable thickness and of the requisitenature to furnish the necessary protection to the animal at the pointwhere the pad is used. The pad in its original condition is in acontinuous piece and of a length and width to be placed under the,saddle of the harness to protect the animal from the rubbing of thesaddle and its component parts. The pad on each side has secured theretostraps of leather or, and, as shown, the straps are secured in placebyeyes or loops bandabindingorstay wire c,running through the eyes orloops, for which purpose the straps at suitable distances apart are eachprovided with holes a for the passage therethrough of the eyes or loops,so that the eyes or loops will project above the straps to receive thebinding or stay wire. The eyes or loops can be of any suitable formationand attached in any manner desired. A formation for the eye or loopwhich is adapted for use is to make the eye or loop from a strip ofsheet metal, having a central section which can be formed into the eyeor loop 17, and eyes I) at the ends, which eyes can be brought together,so as to' permit the passage of a staple having a head b and prongs bfor the prongs to pass through the eyes, bringing the head 19 inengagement with the eyes, so that by entering the prongs into the bodyof the felt and turning the extreme end 19 of the prongs, as shown inFig.5,the eye or loop will be securely fastened to the body of the padand at the same time the fastening is of a nature to be surrounded bythe material of the pad, pre- Venting the contact of the metal fasteningwith the animal. The eyes or loops 1? are secured to the body of the padand the straps or are placed in position with the eyes or loopsprojecting through the holes a, and the binding or stay wires 0 arepassed through the eyes or loops and turned at the ends, so as toprevent them from slipping out, completing the structure of the pad inthe respects named.

The wires are of a flexible nature, so that they can be bent or turnedto fit the pad to the saddle of the harness and back of the horse by theowner of the animal.

The pad as shown in Fig. 1 is in the form in which it is intended to beused where there is no sore or injury on the backof the animal; but incase of a sore or injury the pad is of a nature to be used withoutchanging its general formation and structure, as all that is required toform the pad into one for use with a sore or injury on the back of theanimal is to remove a central section or portion B, so as to leave anopening C of the width required to have the pad clear of the sore orinjury on each side, and such removal can be accomplished by using aknife or other cutting implement which will cut through the body of thepad, so that the section or portion B can be removed. It will beunderstood that in case the sore or injury. is not directly on thebackbone of the animal, but is at one side, a section of the pad can beremoved in the same manner as described for the removable section B,such side sections being preferably cut on the dotted lines and on theline of cutting for one edge of the section or portion 13. The eyes orloops 7) are preferably arranged on the pad so as to have them in suchrelation as to permit the section or sections to be removed cuton linesbetween two of the eyes or loops, so that an eye or loop will be on theremoved section or portion, as shown for the removed section or portionB in Fig. 3. This leaves the removed section with the attaching meansintact, and in removing a section the retaining-straps are not cut, butleft intact, so as to attach the two ends of the pad one to the other,and the removal of a cut-out section or portion is made easy, requiringonly the slipping out of the stiffening or stay wires 0 from the eyes orloops sufficiently to clear the ends of the Wires from the eyes or loopsof the to-be-removed section, which can then be withdrawn, leaving theprotected opening C to overlie the sore or injury. The pad will be heldin shape after the removal of a section or portion by reentering thestiffening or stay wires into the loops or eyes, so that the wires willhold the pad in shape notwithstanding a section or portion thereof hasbeen removed, thus not impairing the pad for use.

The construction shown employs a fastening-strap D, having a slit cltherein to pass over the saddle end hook and hold the pad againstslipping independently of the saddle, and, as shown, the attaching-strapD is secured to one of the eyes or loops Z) by a pin cl, but could beotherwise attached. The removal of the section or portion B in theconstruction shown removes the attaching-strap, and in such case astring can be passed through the hole a of the connecting-strap, bymeans of which the pad can be secured to the saddle-hook of the harness.The pad at each end is provided with the usual retaining-straps E forthe passage of the saddle flaps of the harness in the ordinary manner ofattaching pads to the harness.

It will be seen that with my construction of pad a continuous pad isprovided for use when the back of the animal is well and that this samepad is likewise adapted for use without any special change in itsstructure or nature, except the removal of a section or portion, whenthe back of the animal is sore or injured, and the removal of a sectionor portion to protect the sore or injury does not in the least affectthe nature and utility of the pad, which still retains its pad qualitiesfor use underneath the saddle. The pad is exceedingly simple inconstruction and can be readily and easily applied to a harness, as allthat is required is to bend the stiffening or stay wires in a shape toform the pad as required to fit the saddle of the harness and theanimal, and the removal of a section or portion of the body of the padto protect a sore or injury on the back of the animal does not impairthe pad for use, as it can be used with the portion or section removedequally as well as with the pad intact, and after .the sore or injuryhas been cured the removed section or portion can be replaced, if sodesired, returning the pad to its normal condition practically, as theremoved portion or section when replaced will beheld in position by theretaining or stiffening wires, which are passed through the eyes orloops of the replaced section or portion.

The essential feature of the pad of my in vention (forming the padoriginally as a continuous pad and of a material from which sections orportions can be out and removed, in connection with theconnecting-straps and the stiffening or stay wires) can be utilized inthe construction of collar-pads, it only being necessary to cut the padproper in a continuous strip and of the form required for a collar-padand providing the pad on each side with connecting-straps and retainingor stay wires, as in the construction of the harness-pad, it beingunderstood, of course, that the pad is to be provided with the necessarystraps and hame-hooks for attachment of the pad to the collar.

I claiml. A harness-pad having a continuous body provided on its upperside with connectingstraps and retaining or stay wires, detachablyconnected to the body, permitting the removal, by cutting out from thebody, of a portion or section thereof without impairment of the pad,substantially as described.

2. A harness-pad having a continuous body provided on its upper sidewith connectingstraps and retaining or stay wires detachably connectedto the body by eyes or loops se cured in the body, permitting theremoval, by cutting out from the body, of a portion or section thereofwithout impairment of the pad, substantially as described.

In a harness-pad, the combination of a neeting-straps one adjacent toeach side edge continuous body forming the pad proper, ooncutting outfrom the body, of a portionor sec} tion thereof without impairment ofthe pad,

of the bodyon the outer face thereof, eyes substantially as described.or loops on the body passing through holes in the straps, and retainingor stay wires inserted through the eyes or loops over thecouneoting-straps, permitting the removal, by

JOHN M. CONNOR. Witnesses:

BERTHA A. PRICE,

THOMAS E. MOGREGOR.

